What happens on the programme.
Three weeks of full days, Monday to Friday, at both AIST centres. Learners work through the Grade 12 mathematics and physical science topics that rural schools most often run short of time on.
The structure is simple. Mornings are mathematics and physical science, taught by qualified teachers AIST hires for the programme. Afternoons move to astronomy, delivered by tutors who came through the programme themselves and are now studying science at university. The astronomy is not decoration. It is the part that makes the mathematics feel worth doing, and it is what distinguishes MPASS from ordinary extra lessons.
The programme closes with an evening on which every pair of learners presents an astronomy topic to the room. Each pair works on a topic nobody else has, so the evening covers ground none of them could have covered alone. Parents and alumni are invited.
Why December of Grade 11.
The timing is the whole argument. By Grade 12, schools and the provincial department fill learners' time with their own study camps and revision programmes, and no three-week block remains. December of Grade 11 is the last free window in a school career.
A learner who has already met the hardest Grade 12 content once does not meet it cold in February. That was the method one of our founders used on himself as a Grade 11 learner, before AIST existed, and it remains the core of what the programme does.
Who can apply.
Requirements
- Grade 11 in the current year
- You attend in the December between Grade 11 and Grade 12.
- Mathematics and physical science
- You must be taking both subjects at school.
- Your most recent report card
- We look at the average of your mathematics and physical science marks. You do not need to be top of your class.
Practical details
- Parental consent
- A parent or guardian signs a consent form before you attend.
- Travel
- MPASS is a day programme. Learners travel in each day and return home each evening.
- Cost
- There is no fee. Learners are asked to cover a programme T-shirt.
- No internet access
- Your mathematics teacher can submit the application form on your behalf.
Attendance matters more than marks. The three weeks build on each other, and learners who miss days find it hard to catch up. Please apply only if you can attend for the full programme.
The programme in numbers.
Figures from the 2022 cycle, as reported to the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development, alongside current scale.
Reported honestly. In 2022 the programme opened with 29 Grade 11 learners and 12 completed it. Attendance over three weeks is the hardest part of running a day programme in a rural district, and improving it is a current priority for AIST.
Who teaches it.
Paid staff
Qualified mathematics and physical science teachers, hired for the duration of the programme. This is AIST's largest single cost and the main thing that donations fund.
Volunteer tutors
Former MPASS learners in their second year of university or later, matched to the programme by what they study. They support the teachers through the day and deliver the astronomy component themselves.